Music

Kanye West’s Hospital Stay: Inside Rapper’s Troubled Recent Weeks

Musician was overworked and underslept at time of hospitalization for "temporary psychosis," sources say

December 2, 2016

Kanye West was overworked and underslept at the time of his hospitalization for "temporary psychosis," sources say. John Lamparski/Getty

Kanye West was experiencing nightmares and sleepless nights in the weeks leading up to his recent hospitalization for “temporary psychosis,” according to Us Weekly.

The experience of learning that robbers had tied up his wife, Kim Kardashian West, in a Paris Hotel in October while he was thousands of miles away left the rapper shaken, paranoid and, according to Us’ source, “completely freaked out.” “Seeing Kim close to death did a major number on him,” the source said. “It sent him into a tailspin. He was having nightmares about it.” But while the experience reportedly prompted introspective rumination on the part of Kardashian, West buried himself in work.

In addition to going back on the road for his Saint Pablo tour, West worked on designs for his Yeezus fashion line and for Adidas. “He’d be up drawing, writing and sketching, or pacing and doing pushups [at night],” a source said. “He just could not calm down and go to bed.” Another source claimed, “He would be up all night ranting about things. [West and Kardashian] were fighting because he was impossible to live with.” Eventually, West canceled his upcoming tour dates, following onstage monologues about Donald Trump and Beyoncé.

At the time of his hospitalization, sources claim West hadn’t slept “in about a week.” He was also exhibiting “aggressive and terrifying” outbursts, according to another source, including one time in which he smashed his cell phone. “He was having difficulty identifying what was real,” a family insider told Us. “He was violent, but not violent toward people.” When his personal trainer phoned his doctor, who in turn placed the 911 call that led to his admission at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, he “resisted treatment,” a source said.

Although his doctors want him to rest, sources say he had requested seeing sketches for his fashion lines and asked for recording equipment to be set up while in the hospital. On Thursday, West reportedly returned to his Los Angeles home.

A man identifying himself as one of Kanye West’s doctors requested a police presence during a 911 call before the rapper was hospitalized. Listen here.